Where does Chief Wallabee's name come from at 2026 Kentucky Derby?

There are loads of fantastic names of the thoroughbreds running at the 2026 Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs -- to help you out, we ranked the horses by best name as always -- but there's one that might stand out to you. Chief Wallabee, trained by Bill Mott and owned by Michael and Katherine Ball, might be a bit of a curiosity. "Who was this Chief Wallabee?

" you might ask. "A historical figure of some sort? " Nope.

Per The Courier Journal , the horse is "named after the shoe brand, Wallabee. " There's no further word on why it's a homage to a shoe brand, but maybe the name will prove to bring good luck on Saturday (and some brand recognition for the company). There's your answer!

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Chief Wallabee horse name: Where did it come from at Kentucky Derby?